Protective anchoring assemblage

ABSTRACT

To prevent the theft, removal or unauthorized use of a displayed or stored bulky item such as a fire-arm, implement or the like, while permitting handling or inspection thereof within a limited range, this protective anchoring assemblage includes a base member non-removably mounted on an adjacent support by screws or the like, with a cover secured to the base member and rendering the screws inaccessible. The base member carries an outwardly projecting connector to which is non-removably affixed one end of an elongated flexible connection or leash. The outer end portion of said leash is lockingly engaged with the item to be protected in a manner to permit the latter to be handled and moved through a limited range, but it cannot be unauthorizedly removed or wrongfully appropriated.

United States Patent Foote 51 May 23, 1972 541 PROTECTIVE ANCHORING ASSEMBLAGE [52] US. Cl. ..70/58, 70/D1G. 57, 211/4,

21 1/64, 248/203 [51] Int. Cl. ..E05b 73/00, A47f 7/00, B611 3/00 [58] Field of Search ..70/58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63,

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 23,166 12/1893 Great Britain ..70/62 Primary Examiner-George F. Mautz Assistant Examiner-Edward J. McCarthy Attorney-Curtis B. Morsell, Sr.

1 1 ABSTRACT To prevent the theft, removal or unauthorized use of a displayed or stored bulky item such as a fire-arm, implement or the like, while permitting handling or inspection thereof within a limited range, this protective anchoring assemblage includes a base member non-removably mounted on an adjacent support by screws or the like, with a cover secured to the base member and rendering the screws inaccessible. The base member carries an outwardly projecting connector to which is non-removably afiixed one end of an elongated flexible connection or leash. The outer end portion of said leash is lockingly engaged with the item to be protected in a manner to permit the latter to be handled and moved through a limited range, but it cannot be unauthorizedly removed or wrongfully appropriated.

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- sum 2 BF 2 INVENTOR DANIEL J. FOOTE ATTORNEY PROTECTIVE ANCHORING ASSEMBLAGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND SUMMARY THEREOF Counter, rack and desk displayed or stored items such as fire-arms, appliances, typewriters, etc., as well as garage or shed stored implements, tools, carts, bicycles, skis and the like and pier or boat stored motors, oars, etc. are, unless specially protected, vulnerable to thieves and tamperers. Accordingly, a general object of the present invention is to provide an anchoring assemblage to protect such items while permitting inspection, testing and movement thereof within a limited range. To that end the assemblage includes an anchoring unit adapted for non-removable securement to any adjacent and convenient supporting surface. One end portion of an elongated flexible connection in the nature of a leash or tether is non-removably carried by a portion of the anchoring unit while the other end portion of the leash is adapted to be extended to and lockingly associated with the item to be protected whereby the latter cannot be unauthorizedly removed from its general location, but the leash permits it to be handled and shifted within a limited range.

A further object of the invention is to provide an anchoring unit adapted to be easily, non-removably secured to a suitable convenient support, said unit carrying one end portion of a leash.

Still another object of a form of the invention is to provide a protective anchoring assemblage which includes a support mounted anchoring unit with a leash carrying connector carried by the anchoring unit in a manner to permit swiveling.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a protective anchoring assemblage, an anchor unit held to a support by securing means, said unit including a cover which conceals the securing means and renders the same inaccessible.

A further object of the invention is to provide a protective anchoring assemblage in which a support mounted anchor unit carries an elongated leash extendable to and lockingly engageable with an item to be protected.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a protective anchoring assemblage which is easy to mount and apply, which is strong and durable and safe, which is portable, and which is of simple and inexpensive construction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings wherein the same reference characters designate the same or similar parts in all of the views:

FIG. I is an elevational view showing one form of the improved anchoring assemblage as applied to the trigger lock of a rack displayed gun with the anchoring unit being nonremovably mounted on a support remote from the gun and connected thereto by an elongated flexible cable;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly broken away and in section, of the outer plate of the gun trigger lock, the plate being formed with a stud to which is affixed the outer end of the cable portion of the anchoring assemblage;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through a modified form of anchoring unit provided with a tumable staple which carries the inner end of a chain form of elongated connection;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 only showing the outer plate of the gun trigger lock carrying an eyed member to which a chain is affixed; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view showing an altemative form of anchoring unit mounted on a convenient supporting surface of a garage, shed or the like and carrying an elongated chain engaged with a wheel of a bicycle, cart or implement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Generally speaking the improved protective anchoring assemblage includes an anchoring unit securable to a support,

an elongated flexible connection extending from the anchoring unit to the item to be protected, and means for securing the outer end portion of the flexible connection to the item to be protected.

One form of protective anchoring assemblage and its securing relationship to a gun 10 or other fire-arm is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, of the drawings. The gun 10 is shown mounted in a rack or stanchion 11 such as might be provided for display purposes in a shop or dealer's establishment. The gun I0 is equipped with a trigger lock, generally indicated by the numeral 12 and which is locked onto the trigger guard 13 of the fire-arm in a manner so as to cover the gun trigger and prevent operative access to the latter. The trigger lock 12 is similar to that disclosed in the Foote US. Pat. No. 3,392,471 of July 16, 1968 except that the cover 14 thereof is formed with a laterally projecting hollow cylindrical stud 15 within which the outer end portion of an elongated flexible connection or leash 16 is secured. In the form of the invention of FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the leash 16 may be a cable of any suitable tenacious material, such as plastic covered strand material.

Mounted on a suitable supporting surface 17 adjacent the rack 11 is an anchoring unit generally indicated by the numeral l8 and shown in detail in FIG. 3. One element of the anchoring unit 18 is a cupped member 19 of circular contour whose flat bottom wall is adapted to rest against the supporting surface 17 and is apertured, as at 20, to receive the shanks of screws 21 which serve to securely mount the cupped member 19 on said supporting surface. The built-up mid-portion 22 of the bottom wall of the cupped member 19 has a bore 23 opening into an enlarged shouldered recess 24 for the rotatable reception of the headed and shouldered stem 25 of a cable attaching cylindrical stud or connector 26. The inner end portion of the elongated flexible cable or leash 16 is secured within the bore of the connector 26 by forced detents 27, as shown in FIG. 3.

To non-removably close the open mouth of the cupped member 19 and prevent unauthorized access to the attaching screws 21, a disc-like composite cover plate 28 is provided to lodge tightly within the mouth of said cupped member in frictional engagement with the adjacent inner surface portions of the annular side wall of the cupped member. Said cover plate 28 has a central opening 29 through which the connector 26 rotatably extends and inwardly of the opening 29 there is a groove 30 into which an annular spring 31 surrounding a reduced portion of the connector will snap for cover plate retaining purposes when the cover plate is applied to the mouth of the cupped member 19, as shown in FIG. 3.

The assemblage described in connection with FIGS. 1-3 inclusive provides for storage and display of the gun l0 and permits it to be handled, inspected and moved within a limited range. During movements the elongated leash 16 will not kink due to the fact that the connector 26 which secures one end of the leash to the anchor unit 18 is free to swivel. The other end portion of the leash, being connected to the cover 14 of the gun trigger lock 12, cannot be unauthorizedly disconnected from the gun because the trigger lock 12 cannot be removed from the gun except by an authorized person having the proper key. The flexible leash 16 is of a nature to defy mutilation or cutting. The cover plate 28 of the anchor unit 18 after being snapped into place cannot be removed by a tamperer. As this cover plate covers and conceals the heads of the attaching screws 21 a tamperer is precluded from access to the screws so that the entire anchor unit cannot be unauthorizedly detached from its support 17 thereby enhancing the protective characteristics of the anchoring assemblage.

In FIG. 4 of the drawings there is illustrated a modified form of anchor unit 18 wherein the base or bottom plate of the cupped member 19' tumably carries a staple 32 which permits the anchor unit to carry an elongated flexible connection or leash in the form of a metallic chain 33. The stem 34 of the staple 32 is tumably extended through a bore 35 in the raised mid-portion 36 of the bottom plate of the cupped member 18' with a washer 40 carried by the projecting headed portion of the stem 34 being accommodated by a recess 24'. A circular plastic cover plate for the mouth of the cupped member 18 is indicated by the numeral 28' and it lodges tightly within the mouth of said cupped member. Its periphery is formed with a slightly resilient bead 37 which snaps into a groove 38 therefor in the inner surface of the annular side wall of said cupped member 19. The inner face of the cover plate 28' is formed with curved recesses 39 to accommodate the heads of the attaching screws 21 which extend through openings 20' therefor in the bottom plate of the cupped member 19' whereby the entire anchor unit is non-removably secured to the support 17. With the cover plate 28' snapped into place a tamperer cannot gain access to the heads of the screws 21.

F IG. 5 illustrates a cover plate 14 of a gun trigger lock used as described in connection with the principal form of the invention, but adapted to have secured thereto the outer end of a chain 33 which, in a complete assemblage, would extend to and be carried by a staple connector 32 forming part of the anchor unit 18' of FIG. 4. To receive a link on the outer end of the chain 33 said trigger lock cover plate 14 is formed with a laterally projecting eyed member 41.

As was mentioned earlier the improved protective anchoring assemblage is, in addition to fire-arms, equally applicable for the protection of a variety of items which might be located or stored in a number of environments. As an example, FIG. 6 depicts the wheel 42 of a cart, implement or vehicle which might be stored in a shed or garage. Mounted on a convenient supporting surface 17 of the structure is the anchoring unit 18" of the assemblage which may be of the form depicted in F IG. 4 or it may be of square or rectangular outline, as shown in FIG. 6, but the components, except for shape, would be as shown in FIG. 4 with the bottom of the cupped member 19" carrying a staple 32 which projects through an opening therefor in the cover plate 28". The chain 33 which extends to the items to be protected has its inner end secured to the staple 32. A convenient manner of lockingly associating the outer end portion of the chain 33 with the implement wheel 42 is illustrated. Said portion of the chain embraces the wheel rim and is then doubled back, with the extremity of the chain being secured onto the long shackle 43 of a padlock 44. Before the shackle 43 is locked into the padlock body it is hooked over an intermediate extent of the chain 33. Then when the shackle is locked in place the chain cannot be unauthorizedly released from the item or implement and if a pull is exerted on the chain the looped portion thereof, acting like a running noose," will tighten on the protected item. Obviously the protected item may be moved within a limited range and may be handled, etc., but it is protected against theft or unauthorized removal.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that the improved protection anchoring assemblage will prevent misappropriation or removal of a stored or displayed bulky item while permitting inspection and movement thereof within a limited range. The anchor unit is secured to a support in a manner to preclude its unauthorized detachment because the securing means are completely covered, protected and inaccessible. The assemblage, moreover, is inexpensive, simple to attach to an item to be protected, is strong and durable, and is well adapted for the intended purposes.

I claim:

1. In combination, an anchoring unit, means for securing the anchoring unit to a support, an elongated flexible connection having first and second end portions, the first end portion thereof being attached to said anchoring unit, a trigger guardequipped fire-arm spaced from said anchoring unit, and a trigger lock applied to the trigger guard of the fire-arm and having secured thereto the second end portion of the flexible connection.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the trigger lock is lockably applied to the trigger guard of the fire-arm.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the anchoring unit incorporates means for protecting its securing means against tamperers. I

4. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the anchoring unit swivelingly carries a connector to which the first end portion of the flexible connection is secured.

5. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the trigger lock is adjustably applied to the trigger guard of said fire-arm and includes key-operated mechanism.

6. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the trigger lock includes opposed cover members shaped to engage and substantially cover opposite faces of the fire-arm trigger guard, said cover members being adjustably connected by a turnable plug, one of said cover members being formed with a member to which said second end portion of the flexible connection is secured. 

1. In combination, an anchoring unit, means for securing the anchoring unit to a support, an elongated flexible connection having first and second end portions, the first end portion thereof being attached to said anchoring unit, a trigger guardequipped fire-arm spaced from said anchoring unit, and a trigger lock applied to the trigger guard of the fire-arm and having secured thereto the second end portion of the flexible connection.
 2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the trigger lock is lockably applied to the trigger guard of the fire-arm.
 3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the anchoring unit incorporates means for protecting its securing means against tamperers.
 4. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the anchoring unit swivelingly carries a connector to which the first end portion of the flexible connection is secured.
 5. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the trigger lock is adjustably applied to the trigger guard of said fire-arm and includes key-operated mechanism.
 6. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the trigger lock includes opposed cover members shaped to engage and substantially cover opposite faces of the fire-arm trigger guard, said cover members being adjustably connected by a turnable plug, one of said cover members being formed with a member to which said second end portion of the flexible connection is secured. 